Human Power For Human Upgrades

Dozix007 writes "The human body, like any other machine requires energy to operate. However, during operation we release residual heat which can be used for power. Many people who rely on pacemakers and other artifical devices in their bodies may recieve 'upgrades' to avert the many surgeries per. year to replace dead and dying batteries. Not quite the Matrix yet, but we are getting there."

Comments

The Human Body as a Heat Engine

[bd005]

Yes, yes, and this is why, fundamentally, the Matrix doesn't really make sense.

But I really doubt the 100 microwatts of power they are trying for will be significant enough to be noticed--your body gives off about 100 watts of radiation as it is.

Oh nooooo!

[eyepeepackets]

Why does this idea of body-generated electricity conjure up images of weary airport travelers sitting in cheap plastic chairs, power cords running from their laptops up their legs, connecting to heat collecting anal probes, charging said laptops for yet another round of Whack-a-Mole, business style?

Oy, and I thought the world was a strange place already.

Re:The Human Body Is An Endothermic Reaction.

[drinkypoo]

Seated and at rest the body produces about 400 Btus per hour of excess heat which must be transferred to the environment. In contrast, climbing a steep set of stairs produces an excess of 4,400 Btus per hour. Since humans are warm-blooded mammals, the body needs to lose this excess heat because deep body temperatures must remain relatively constant at 98.6 F to prevent serious medical complications.

That doesn't sound right to me, I thought deep body temperatures were more like 100 F and that 98.6 was just an orifice temperature. But that aside, the point is that generally speaking we produce more heat than we need. This is true except when the ambient temperature drops below a certain point, of course, but in general we're radiating heat like crazy. It only makes sense to make use of this heat loss when possible.